A judge has found that evidence in the ethics case against Mayor John Marks was “insufficient to establish clearly and convincingly” that he violated the law when he voted on matters involving city vendors.

.

Administrative Law Judge Lawrence Stevenson, who presided over a one-day hearing in the case last month, issued his recommended order in the case this afternoon. It’s expected to go to the Florida Commission on Ethics for a final decision.

.

The Ethics Commission in June charged Marks with five counts of violating state ethics laws by voting on matters involving Honeywell, a client of his former law firm, and separately, the Alliance for Digital Equality, an Atlanta nonprofit that paid him as a member of its board of advisers.

.

Under Florida’s ethics laws, local officials are prohibited from voting on any measure that would give them, a principal who has retained them, a relative or a business associate a special, private gain. Officials found guilty can face penalties including fines and, in the most serious cases, suspension or removal from office.